Afternoon on 3 replaced by Afternoon Concert

BBC Radio 3’s long-running daily show Afternoon on 3 is changing to Afternoon Concert, and being extended by 30 minutes.

The changes are part of the new season of programmes and commissions revealed by Radio 3 Controller Alan Davey. He says: “We’re a place for anyone who needs space to think or time out. I want Radio 3 to be an antidote to today’s often frenzied world. We’re more than just a radio station – we’re a curator and a creator, a commissioner, and an innovator.

“We connect our audiences with the very best of music and culture from outstanding classical concerts to full-length radio dramas, Slow Radio to sound art innovations, from world premieres to lost and forgotten gems. It’s our distinctive cultural offering which sets us apart. We are a cultural powerhouse and a committed contributor to today’s classical music and arts landscape.”

Sarah Walker is to get own show as the sole presenter of Sunday Morning, and one of the many new Slow Radio broadcasts with Horatio Clare will attempt to recreate the sense of the landmarks along Johann Sebastian Bach’s famous journey from Arnstadt to Lübeck.

Other changes include:

In Tune to move to a later time and feature a new Mixtape segment inspired by River Of Music

Radio 3 to present a dedicated focus on Organ music through launching new show Choir and Organ presented by Sara Mohr-Pietsch

Hear And Now to have new feature, Sound Of The Week, exploring sounds which have inspired composers

Clemency Burton-Hill to present new three-part Sunday Feature entitled Select-Copy-Paste, which will explore the impact of technology on creativity

Radio 3 In Concert to broadcast live concerts marking the return of Sir Simon Rattle to the UK; the 50th anniversary concert of the EBU’s regular music exchanges and Jacqueline du Pré memorial concert. The station will also broadcast all seven operas featured in the V&A’s upcoming opera exhibition in collaboration with the Royal Opera House, alongside other features and specials.